On November 23, 2025, Teatr Wielki in Poznań will present the world premiere of Dorian Gray, a new opera by acclaimed composer Elżbieta Sikora and directed by David Pountney. Additional performances are scheduled for November 25, 27, and 29.
Sikora’s opera draws on Oscar Wilde’s well-known novel, tracing the story of a young man who exchanges his soul for eternal youth. As Dorian’s outward appearance remains untouched by time, his portrait absorbs the consequences of his moral decline.
Dorian Gray was commissioned by Teatr Wielki in Poznań as part of the “Composers’ Commissions” program of the National Institute of Music and Dance. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage through the Culture Promotion Fund.
Born in Poland and based in France for more than forty years, Elżbieta Sikora is one of the leading Polish composers of her generation. Her training spans Warsaw, Paris (GRM and IRCAM), and Stanford University. In 2024 she received major distinctions from France, including an honor from the Académie Charles Cros and the French President’s Prize for lifetime achievement. This new opera marks her first collaboration with the Poznań opera house.
The cast of Dorian Gray includes soprano Joanna Freszel, who previously appeared in Los Angeles collaborating with pianist Łukasz Chrzęszczyk in 2023 for a concert co-presented by the USC Polish Music Center and the Holocaust Museum LA. Also, the PMC’s annual Paderewski Lecture-Recital in 2016 was devoted to Elżbieta Sikora and her oeuvre, during which we had the pleasure of welcoming the composer in person to deliver a lecture about her compositional process. The successes of these two excellent female musicians brings meaningful artistic connection back to our local community.
Additionally this season, audiences will also hear the premiere of Sikora’s newest orchestral work: Flute Concerto, dedicated to Maria Kalesnikava and performed by Ana de la Vega. The concerto will be heard in upcoming concerts with orchestras in Szczecin and Reutlingen. More details to follow.
NOVEMBER 23-29, 2025 | 7:00 PM
Dorian Gray – Opera by Elzbieta Sikora (World Premiere)
Teatr Wielki in Poznan
Fredry 9, Poznan 61-701
TICKETS: here
[Sources: sonoramusic.eu, opera.poznan.pl. Photo credit: Krysta Close, USC Polish Music Center Archives. All rights reserved]